


Written in my Heart

by queenyngrid



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Fluffy, Handong thinks she's straight, Yoohyeon is soft, pie appears, she isn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 09:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30002727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenyngrid/pseuds/queenyngrid
Summary: Yoohyeon always dreamed about living a fairy tail like romance with her soulmate. Handong expected a perfect life, including a husband and an amazing family like her parents'. None of them would have what they were looking for when they found each other.
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Kim Yoohyeon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	Written in my Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Escrito em Meu Coração](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/775473) by queenyngrid. 



> Hello Everyone! Here I am again!
> 
> This fic took a long while to translate lol.  
> I'd like to say it that I don't understand anything about chinese food so if I got something wrong let's pretend I didn't.
> 
> P.S: Poison Love special clip killed me, I might write a story based on that so let's see how it goes.
> 
> That's it guys! Hope you like it ♥

Yoohyeon screamed in surprise when she woke up that day. It was supposed to be a normal day, she would go to college and then, later, to the library, since her exams were coming soon. But as she took her pajama top off, she saw something that was never there before: her soulmate mark.

She has always dreamt of the day her mark would appear, but at eighteen, she was already tired of waiting and most of the time she barely thought about it, that’s why she was shocked to see it there. The so awaited mark was on her wrist and she couldn’t stop her heart beating fast while she was looking at it.

Only one thing was confusing her, her mark was written in a language she couldn’t understand, possibly chinese, she wasn’t sure. What did that mean? She didn’t know anything about soulmates, that’s why she hurried to get to college and ask her best friend about this.

“Your mark has the name of your soulmate, if she is from another country it must be written in her own language, right? Your soulmate is probably chinese” Yubin explained right after she came into the classroom shouting, showing her mark and filling Yubin with questions.

"So we don't even live in the same country?" Yoohyeon asked herself "What are the chances of this to work? What are the chances of us even meeting each other one day?" She lowered her head on her desk while finishing her phrase.

"Don't worry about it, soulmates are destined to meet" Yubin said.

Yoohyeon saw the sad glinting in her friend's gaze, even though she was trying hard to show happiness for her. She sighed, she didn't want to bring bad memories back to Yubin, but she also didn't want to hide something so important from her.

"I can't even say her name" She sighed, looking at her own mark which she couldn't understand.

"I had an idea" Her friend said and suddenly pulled her out of the classroom "I have a friend who is an exchange student from China, she can help you read the name.

"Shouldn't we be in class? It's already starting" said Yoohyeon, still unwilling to go.

"The love of your life is more important than Methodology I, come on" answered Yubin.

They walked to a classroom on the next hallway, Yoohyeon realized that the class hadn't started yet, so both of them got in and Yubin went straight to a desk where a dark haired girl was sitting.

"TingYan!" she called and the girl looked at them.

"Yubin! The class is about to start, did anything happen?" she asked worried.

"Yes, it did. My friend here can't read her soulmate mark" she said as she pulled Yoohyeon's arm, putting it on the table and almost knocking her off in the process.

"Your soulmate isn't korean? This can be hard" Yoohyeon sighed, even Yubin's friend who barely knew her was feeling bad for her seemingly lonely fate "Let me see" she pulled Yoohyeon's sleeve to see the name written there "It's written Handong, actually, I think I can write in hangul, do you want me to"

"Please" she begged "And my name is Yoohyeon, I didn't introduce myself properly" both of them laughed.

"Nice to meet you, Yoohyeon, I'm TingYan" she bowed and soon started writing on her notebook "All done, here's your loved one's name" she gave her a piece of paper with two syllables written on it.

"Thank you so much, I don't even know how to thank you" she said cheerfully.

"I accept payment by coffee" TingYan answered laughing.

"We'll schedule our coffee soon then" she said before saying goodbye and going back to her classroom with Yubin.

They really drank that coffee and TingYan even helped Yoohyeon to find materials for her to start studying chinese, after all, how would she talk to her future girlfriend if she didn't know her language?

Yoohyeon was ready to try as hard as she could for this relationship to work, even though she didn't know Handong yet. Although she didn't know if she was tall or short, if she kept her hair long or short or if she liked cats or dogs.

She didn't know her soulmate, but every time she said her name aloud to herself, she wanted to meet her even more and maybe call her name while looking into her eyes.

✰

Handong could barely believe when she woke up and looked at herself in the mirror, a mark was decorating her collarbone, a mark she was expecting since her childhood.

Her soulmark was small and… in korean? She couldn’t read the name inverted in the mirror well, so she hurried to take a picture. She needed that to read it and also, she really wanted a picture on her phone.

As soon as she looked into the picture she could read what was written there: Kim Yoohyeon. She already had basic knowledge in korean to know how to read in Hangul easily. She sighed reading her future soulmate’s name.

She has always dreamt of finding the person whose name would appear on her skin one day. Her mom always told her the love story she lived with her dad, how they met and fell in love hopelessly, they have been together for twenty years and they still loved each other as if it was their first day.

She still didn’t know the owner of that name, but she could imagine what he was like. Probably tall, strong, besides being gentle and sweet and that would treat her like a princess. Her mother promised her that was the least she could ask in a perfect husband, and her soulmate would surely be perfect for her. She would have a wonderful family and marriage.

Handong remembered she still had to take a shower and get dressed to go college, she did that quickly and went down the stairs to have her sacred breakfast with her family. She decided to just tell them the news and show them her new soulmark.

“A korean guy? You should marry someone from our country” was her father’s first reaction, she swallowed hearing it.

“Don’t be old-fashioned, these kinds of things don’t exist anymore in this generation” her mom answered, which made him grunt and he kept eating “My sweetheart, this is amazing! I’m sure you’ll find him soon”.

“About that, I think it would be convenient to anticipate my exchange program to Korea to the next semester” she said quietly, afraid that her request would make them mad.

“But of course!” her mom exclaimed “There’s no problem, right, darling?”

“This exchange program should have happened already, if you can anticipate with your college I don’t see any problems” he said, still serious. Handong and her mom laughed.

“Thank you, love you” she got up and kissed her mom and dad on their foreheads “I need to go, see you later” she grabbed a toast, her backpack that was on the couch and left through the door.

She ran to get to the college’s management. She wanted to anticipate her exchange as soon as possible.

It didn’t take long for her to receive a positive answer, in four months she would be traveling to Seoul. Her smile was immensely bright, she was counting the days to meet her perfect pair. The man of her dreams that she has imagined for years, the person who would make her happy for the rest of her life.

She couldn’t pay attention to her classes for the rest of the day, lost in her dreams of her perfect future.

Two years later

It was the end of the first class of Handong's semester and she let out a big sigh while leaving the classroom. Anyone who would walk through that hall would imagine she hated that subject, or hated the university in general. But that wasn’t true.

She loved her exchange and that was one of her favorite subjects. The reason she was feeling down was because there wasn’t any Kim Yoohyeon in her class. She was looking for her soulmate for years and didn’t have any success in finding him. Fate was probably playing with her feelings.

She got to her dorm and threw herself on the couch, she was really tired of looking for someone she didn’t even know.

“No sign of him today?” Gahyeon, her roommate, asked.

They met as soon as Handong moved to Korea. The younger girl was from another city, so she also got a room in one of the college’s dorm buildings. She had a scholarship and was an amazing student, she was always studying. Handong suspected she had interrupted her studies by making such a dramatic entrance, since her roommate dogged her attention from the computer to her.

“No” she murmured still laying on the couch “I was sure I was going to meet him this semester, Gahyeon, I was feeling it”

“You always feel it” she laughed, remembering that her friend has been telling her that since their first semester “But classes have barely started, there’s still time”.

“I’m already losing my hope” she grabbed a pillow and put on her own head.

“Chill, some people take way longer to find their soulmates” seeing her words didn’t have any effect on her friend, Gahyeon got up and took the pillow from Handong’s head “Come on, get up, try to go out somewhere to distract yourself”.

“Let’s grab a coffee?” she asked, already looking better by the sight of coffee.

“Sorry, I’m finishing a really urgent project” Handong sighed “But you can go there and bring coffee for me as well, what do you think?”.

“I think you’re taking advantage of my sadness”.

“I’m always the one who gets us coffee, now it’s your turn” she said humming while she went back to paying attention to her laptop.

“Alright, I’ll go there today, but don’t get used to it” she smiled and grabbed her purse.

She left the apartment leaving the sound of Gahyeon’s laughter behind. Maybe she still didn’t have her soulmate, but at least she would get a good coffee that afternoon.

✰

Yoohyeon was sitting on a chair inside the staff room in the coffee shop where she worked at, her shift would start in less than ten minutes and she was finishing her last exercise.

“Are you still studying?” Yubin asked when she came into the room and Yoohyeon nodded “It’s been so long that when Handong shows up you’ll be fluent in chinese already”.

“You think my bad luck in love is funny, don’t you?” she threw her own apron on Yubin, who just laughed and grabbed it.

“Actually, I do, come on now, we have to work”

Yoohyeon sighed and closed her notebook, put it in her backpack and started getting ready for her shift. She has been working part time for a year. She needed money for her college expenses and she could even save some. Her savings were designed for a specific purpose: pay a trip to China. There wasn’t much left for her to get the money for her trip, she was already excited with the thought of meeting her soulmate, even though she had to literally pay a lot for this.

She finished getting ready by holding her long brown hair in a ponytail and putting clips on her bangs so it wouldn’t cover her face. She started her shift right after that.

Working at the cashier counter was really easy, besides not being so good with numbers, the computer did this for her and she could focus on smiling at the clients and make them feel welcome. Every time she worked with Yubin, she stayed on the counter while her friend made the coffees, since it was more comfortable for her than talking to strangers.

“Good afternoon” she said smiling to one more client, then she realized it was a beautiful girl. She had long brown hair that was held in a loose bun, shiny golden eyes and sparkling skin and jewels that shone all around her “What would you like to order?”

“Two cappuccinos, please” she answered smiling.

“Noted, what’s your name?”

“It’s Handong” Yoohyeon turned cold when she listened to that. She waited for so long for someone to introduce herself to her with that name she could barely think about what she was hearing.

That beautiful girl in front of her was her soulmate? In her own job? In Seoul? Simply ordering coffee? That wasn’t how she imagined their first meeting.

“I’m sorry, how?” she needed to listen again to believe it was real.

“Handong” she said again louder and Yoohyeon’s head started spinning, but she tried to act as normally as possible.

"Your order will be ready soon, you can wait near the balcony" she repeated the words she used to say to every client, if it wasn't rehearsed she wouldn't be able to say anything.

She handed the glass to Yubin and looked at her desperately, her friend couldn’t understand why she was so nervous, so Yoohyeon pointed to the plastic glass discreetly. Yubin looked at it and then back at Yoohyeon with wide eyes as well.

Yubin turned back to the coffee machine and Yoohyeon turned back to the cashier, after all, the line wasn’t going to vanish just because her heart couldn’t stop beating fast and she could barely breathe. She couldn’t help but look aside to where Handong was standing. She was casually on her phone, not even imagining what was actually going on.

Suddenly, she felt someone touching her arm and she turned around, it was Yubin, holding two cappuccinos.

“Go on and talk to her, I’ll take care of the cashier counter” she basically pushed her to the side and handed her the coffee.

Yoohyeon didn’t have any idea of what she was doing when she walked to where Handong was standing waiting for her order.

She put the glasses on the counter and called the girl’s name, her soulmate’s name. Handong heard and soon grabbed her coffee, thanking Yoohyeon with a bright smile. She was about to leave when she felt a hand pulling her wrist.

“Excuse me, can we talk for a minute?” she seemed confused but nodded anyway.

Yoohyeon guided Handong to an empty table at the coffee shop, where they sat in front of each other. Her soulmate was looking at her confused, probably asking herself why a stranger wanted to talk to her.

“I know this is weird, but I have a good reason to have called you here” she was looking at her waiting for her to continue, Yoohyeon sighed before saying “Handong, I’m Kim Yoohyeon”

By hearing that, the other girl’s eyes went wide and she even sat straighter on her chair. She seemed to be looking for words to say without any success in finding them, so Yoohyeon lifted her sleeve and showed her own soulmark.

“You?” she looked surprised “But you’re a girl”.

“Yes, I am” Yoohyeon didn’t understand why Handong was pointing that out.

“There must be something wrong, I don’t like girls, this shouldn't be happening” she said while looking to the ground, talking more to herself than to her recently discovered soulmate.

“What? Are you serious?” Yoohyeon could barely talk after that, her soulmate was… straight? The destiny wouldn’t play her like this, would it?

“I need to go” was all Handong said before grabbing her cappuccinos, standing up and running through the place’s door.

Yoohyeon stayed there, still sitting, not knowing what to do. She just felt a single tear rolling on her face.

✰

Next day, Handong woke up, trying to take in what had happened last afternoon, trying to understand if it was real. It wasn’t possible that Kim Yoohyeon was really a woman, she couldn’t understand. Her life with her soulmate was supposed to be perfect, just like her parents’ life was.

Even still being a little bit shaken, she decided to go to the coffee shop again. After arriving home, she talked to Gahyeon about what happened and realized she was really rude to Yoohyeon, she felt the need to at least apologize. She knew she wasn’t what Yoohyeon was expecting in a soulmate and that her words could have hurt her, it wasn’t fair.

That’s why, after her afternoon classes, she went to the coffee shop expecting Yoohyeon would be there. It was her lucky day, because she was right there, smiling and willing like the day before.

She got in the line and waited for her turn. She felt her hands sweating cold, she was nervous to talk to her soulmate again. As soon as her turn arrived, she saw Yoohyeon’s smile falter when she saw her. Handong felt her chest tighten when she realized she was causing unhappiness just by being there in front of her, she thought that she didn’t want to cause these kinds of feelings on Yoohyeon, even though she barely knew her.

“Hi” she said, trying to keep a calm expression, she received a small “hello” in response “Can we talk for a while?”

“Sure” she felt Yoohyeon hesitating before agreeing “Can you wait for my shift to end? I have just half an hour left”.

“I’ll wait while I drink a cup of tea” she smiled and then grabbed her wallet to make an order.

Handong sat down after getting her iced tea and waited. That waiting was torturing, since she couldn’t stop thinking about how she was going to talk to Yoohyeon or how to talk about it in a softer way. After thinking a lot, the clock striked six p.m and she saw the clerk entering a room, probably to get changed. Handong took a deep breath, the moment was coming soon.

“Let’s go?” Yoohyeon said, she finally got out and was ready to leave, Handong nodded and stood up. She couldn’t help but observe she was with loose hair now, they were long, straight and she had bangs. She was also wearing casual clothes instead of her uniform “I know a good restaurant near here, we can talk there if you don’t mind”.

“I don’t mind at all, you can lead the way” she nodded and they both walked ahead.

They walked all the way in silence after that, none of them knew what to say and they barely knew each other to start a small talk. The mood was tense and so thick it could be cut with a knife. Happily, the restaurant was near there and they didn’t take long to get there.

They went in, sat down and ordered their food. Soon, they were silent again, Handong felt that was the right time to speak, so she took a deep breath and prepared herself to start talking.

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday” Yoohyeon stared at her surprised, like she wasn’t expecting that kind of conversation to happen “I was nervous and talked to you in a way that I shouldn’t”

“I’m the one who need to apologize'' she started speaking “I’ve gone to talk to you with no previous warning, I was in a hurry and thought I’d lose my only chance if I didn’t talk to you at that time” she continued “I also wanted to apologize for not being what you were expecting” that words felt like a knife cutting Handong inside. The look in Yoohyeon’s eyes was so sad that all she wanted was to say it wasn’t true, even though she knew it was.

“I’m sure I’m not what you were expecting as well” was what she could say.

“You know, soulmates don’t always need to be together romantically, I wish we could at least be friends” Yoohyeon smiled, even if Handong saw it that it didn’t actually reach her eyes.

“Sure, we can exchange numbers” she answered and gave her phone to Yoohyeon so she could save her number. She also did the same on the other girl’s cellphone.

They didn’t talk more while they were eating, only when they were leaving that Yoohyeon spoke again.

“Let’s go out this weekend?” Handong agreed quickly, which finally made Yoohyeon smile “We’ll set the details through text then”

Saying that, they said goodbye and went walking different ways.

Handong was still disappointed for not finding her ideal partner in her soulmate, but she was happy that Yoohyeon wanted to be at least her friend. She didn’t know why, but she was excited to get to know her better.

✰

The weekend didn’t take long to arrive and Yoohyeon was eager to meet Handong. Yubin warned her at least five times during the week for her not to expect a lot from this meeting, but it was really hard not to.

She was going to meet her soulmate she waited for so long to know, the person who would have her name tattooed in her own body for the rest of her life. She still hasn't seen the tattoo for herself, it must be in a more hidden place than Yoohyeon’s, but only knowing it was there made her shiver.

Yoohyeon knew they would go out only as friends, but she wanted to know more about Handong, she wanted to understand why fate had decided to unite them through those marks.

She finished dressing up, looked at herself in the mirror one more time before leaving, she was wearing a blue floral dress, flat shoes in the same color and her hair was tied in a high ponytail. She grabbed her purse and left her apartment.

The pastries shop where they were going to meet wasn’t far from there, so she went by foot. They agreed to meet there since Handong told her that the place had amazing cakes and she really needed some sweets in her life at that moment.

When she stepped in the shop, the smell of the sugar and of the fresh cakes broke into her senses. She looked around and saw it was all decorated in pink and white, way different from the brown and beige shades that decorate the coffee shop where she works. Seeing the tables, she saw Handong already sitting in one of them, she was looking at her cell phone and didn’t see when Yoohyeon approached her table and whispered a small “hello”.

She was beautiful, wearing a blue tank top and white pants, her brunette hair was loose and she was wearing only a small golden necklace and earrings. When she lifted her head to look at Yoohyeon, the girl needed to hold her breath tight when she saw those beautiful honey and shiny eyes looking straight into hers.

“Yoohyeon, hi, you may sit” she greeted her smiling and Yoohyeon automatically smiled back, sitting on the chair in front of Handong “I was waiting for you to order, what do you want to eat?” she asked and handed her the menu.

While she went over the menu, she saw Handong throw her hair back and she held a scream when she saw what was behind her top: her soulmark. Handong realized Yoohyeon’s surprise and saw exactly where she was looking at.

“Ah, the soulmark, I thought you would want to see” she said almost whispering.

“I really wanted to see” Yoohyeon answered, not knowing well how to react, she just kept looking “Sorry, I’ll stop staring, it must be weird” she giggled.

“It’s not weird, it’s alright” she giggled too and went back to her own menu.

After a few minutes deciding what they wanted, Handong opted for a lemon pie and Yoohyeon for a chocolate cake. They ordered and suddenly an uncomfortable silence settled on their table, none of them knew what to talk about, so Yoohyeon decided to start with the basics. She wasn’t so bad at making new friends after all.

“Are you here in Korea to study?” she asked and Handong nodded “What’s your major?”

“I study Performance Arts, I was studying in China already and now I’m here doing an exchange program. I intend to specialize in musicals, I really like to sing” she said happily, she always liked to talk about college “What about you? Are you in college as well?”

“Yes, I study Literature” she said “But besides loving books, I also love musicals, your major must be awesome!”

“Actually, we’re producing a musical that will have its premiere in the fall, I can get you a ticket if you want to watch”

“Really?” Handong nodded “I want it, thank you so much!” she exclaimed, Yoohyeon didn’t think she would really invite her to see her musical.

Their order finally arrived and they started eating in silence. Yoohyeon realized in that quick conversation that Handong was not much of an extrovert, so she decided to lead the conversation once again.

"Do you like dogs?" she saw Handong divert her attention from the cake to her with her eyes already shimmering.

"Yes! Do you have one?" she asked, seemingly excited.

"I do, her name is Pie" Yoohyeon unlocked her phone and opened its gallery at the same time she was sitting on a chair next to Handong so she could show her the pictures "She is one year old, just a baby" she giggled.

She could see that Handong was very interested in the pictures while she saw them one by one with shiny eyes that were glued on the phone screen.

"She is so pretty! I have a cat, but he's with my parents right now, I miss him a lot" she pouted and Yoohyeon thought she looked really cute.

"Do you have any pictures? Can I see them?" Yoohyeon asked and Handong was already clicking through her phone before showing her pics of a pretty grey cat.

After that, their conversation flowed naturally, Yoohyeon also found out that Handong was a year older than herself, and also discovered some important information, like her zodiac sign and blood type. They kept on talking until dusk.

“Yoohyeon, I have to go, it’s getting dark” Handong said and Yoohyeon agreed.

“I can’t arrive home late as well, let’s go” they got up and paid their bill.

They walked together until a street where they would have to go separate ways.

“Thank you for today” Handong said “I was kind of nervous to be honest, I’m not actually good at making new friends, but I felt really comfortable talking to you” she smiled shyly while handling a strand of her hair and looking at the ground. Yoohyeon’s heart started beating faster with no reasonable reason at all.

“I was nervous as well, but I’m happy you were able to have fun with me” she answered and that made Handong look at her “I hope we can go out again”

They kept staring at each other for a few seconds, none of them saying anything, Yoohyeon couldn’t stop her eyes from looking at Handong’s lips, they were painted by light pink lipstick and they seemed soft and delicate. When she realized where her thoughts were heading, Yoohyeon averted her gaze to the other side, afraid of being caught staring at Handong’s lips.

“Sure, I can barely wait” was the last thing Handong said before saying goodbye and going the opposite way.

Yoohyeon wasn’t feeling butterflies only in her stomach, but all over her body. She knew they were just friends for now, but that was the best first date she ever had.

On the other street across the avenue, Handong took a deep breath to calm her heart down. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but after getting to know Yoohyeon a little, she understood perfectly why her name was on her skin. Both of them had a lot in common, besides the weird electricity she felt on her skin when she looked at Yoohyeon’s eyes.

She never felt anything like this before, even less for another girl. It was impossible for her not to be scared in the same magnitude she felt bewitched by Yoohyeon’s eyes and by her sweet smile.

✰

After that day, they didn’t stop talking to each other, they always exchanged texts and even met in person sometimes, when Handong would go to the coffee shop where Yoohyeon worked. Even if they were always in touch, Handong missed spending a whole day with her like they did in the pastries shop, but she didn’t have the courage to say that to the younger girl, she was afraid to bother her by asking her out again.

She was surprised when she received a text from Yoohyeon saying “Come to my house this weekend! Pie wants to meet you!”. She thought a lot before sending an answer, after all, entering her house would be a big step on their intimacy level. But she couldn’t deny that besides really wanting to meet the puppy, she missed Yoohyeon, so she answered saying she would go.

Handong was really nervous on her way to the apartment, she knew they would only have dinner and watch a movie after that, but she couldn’t help but feel nervous and excited at the same time. She needed to take a deep breath at least three times before knocking at the door of apartment 54, where Yoohyeon lived.

A few seconds later, Yoohyeon opened the door, smiling as always and Handong couldn’t help but smiling as well by seeing her.

“Handong! Come in, please make yourself at home, I’m already finishing cooking our lunch” she said making room for the older one to come into the house and then closing the door once again.

She smelled something that looked like Mapo Tofu, just like the one her mother used to make at home, but she imagined that it should be just a similar smell. She looked around and took a look at the apartment. It wasn’t extremely decorated besides some pictures framed on the wall, she also saw a hall that led to two doors, probably her bedroom and bathroom. When her eyes stared at the couch, she saw someone else there, a little beige puppy.

“Is this pie?” she asked Yoohyeon, who was in the kitchen.

“Yes!” she seemed excited “You can play with her, she doesn’t bite”

Handong went to the couch and kneeled in front of the puppy, she put her hand close to her nose so she could smell and get to know her a little. Pie didn’t react at all, so she started petting the little dog. It didn’t take long for them to get used to each other and start playing. Yoohyeon observed everything from the kitchen with a smile on her face.

“I think she likes you” she said and Handong laughed.

“I like her too, she’s really cute” her attention was still on Pie, who was laid on her back waiting for Handong to pet her belly.

“People say dogs only like those who have a pure soul and who visit their house with good intentions”

“Did you just invite me here so she could test my kindness then?” Handong lifted her eyebrow.

“Of course” Yoohyeon giggled “You could be a killer and I wouldn’t even know”

“I’m glad I passed the test” she laughed as well “Good thing I only need to take over my family’s mob when my dad retires in ten years” Yoohyeon stopped what she was doing to look at her surprised.  
“Are you serious?” she asked still wide eyed, Handong couldn’t hold her laugh anymore by seeing the fear in Yoohyeon’s eyes.

“Of course not” she managed to say while laughing hard “I can’t believe you thought it was true”

“I was already imagining my death by your father’s hand” Handong laughed even harder when she heard that.

“He is just a common businessman, so don’t worry about it” Yoohyeon started laughing as well.

It didn’t take long for lunch to be ready, the owner of the house set the table and Handong was surprised to see that she had really prepared Mapo Tofu.

“I don’t know if you like it, but it was the best chinese dish that I can make, I apologize if it tastes bad” she said with a small smile.

“I love it! My mom always makes it when I’m home” the older one said.

“Really?” a sparkle lit Yoohyeon’s eyes “I’m sure it won’t be as good as your mom’s, but I hope you like it anyway”

Handong started eating, she didn’t know exactly what to expect, since she had no clue about Yoohyeon’s cooking level, but she was surprised to see it tasted really good.

“It’s awesome!” Handong said after eating a few bites.

“Really? Are you not lying just to be nice?” Yoohyeon seemed nervous and Handong giggled.

“I’m definitely serious! Where did you learn?”

“I’ve been trying to learn a few typical chinese dishes since my soulmark appeared, I watch some videos online and try to make them. Mapo Tofu was the easiest one, I didn’t want to risk doing anything complicated yet” she explained smiling.

Handong didn’t know what to say, Yoohyeon really spent a lot of her time during all these years learning how to cook dishes for her? Her heart started beating fast when she imagined Yoohyeon doing all of this only to please her.

“You didn’t have to, really, I’m used to korean food, it’s no trouble at all” she said, trying to hide her reddened cheeks.

“But it must be tiring to eat dishes from another country all the time, speaking another language must be tiring as well, that’s why I also started studying chinese” she was looking at her own plate, even if she couldn’t see, Handong could imagine she was blushing.

“Do you study chinese?” she asked, not believing what she had just heard, she didn’t know her heart could beat so fast.

“Yes” she said and paused for a few seconds before talking again “I know I must look silly, but I just wanted to make you feel at least a little bit at home while you were with me”

Handong was looking for an answer and trying to process those words at the same time. She wanted to say that only by being by her side, Yoohyeon made her feel at home, wanted to say that no one ever worked so hard to make her happy without even knowing her. She wanted to say a lot of things, but she couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“I guess you accomplished your goal” was what she could say, Yoohyeon smiled at her.

They kept on eating without saying anything else, Handong was breathing a little deeper than usual, trying to make her heart calm down.

When she saw Yoohyeon for the first time, she couldn’t help but notice she was tall and had a really sweet smile, just like she imagined her soulmate to be. Now she was seeing that Yoohyeon treated her like a princess, even before they met. She realized that Yoohyeon had everything she was looking for, even if she wasn’t a guy and couldn’t give her the perfect family like the one her parents have, the one she always dreamt about.

She thought that Yoohyeon was certainly wrong when she said she wasn’t what Handong was expecting.

✰

After a long day of classes Handong arrived in her room and laid down on her bed, she wanted to rest, but she couldn’t rest for long until her phone started ringing.

She saw it was her mother calling and hurried to answer, even if she was really tired, she missed her a lot and I wanted to talk to her.

“Handong! How are you?” she asked as soon as she showed up on the screen, she was at some coffee shop Handong didn’t know.

“I’m fine, how are things back at home?” her mom answered by telling her about the family dinner they had last weekend.

They talked about work, college and all the news they had since they last talked to each other. While they were talking, Gahyeon arrived. She saw Handong was busy on the phone, so she just said a small hello with a smile and sat on her study desk.

Handong saw a couple walking hand in hand discreetly behind her mom. She only paid attention because it was a couple formed by two girls and she was paying a lot of attention to those couples lately. She couldn’t help but see how happy they were while smiling together, but her thoughts were interrupted by her mom talking through the phone.

“Did you see that?” she seemed outraged “Those people walking hand in hand on the street as if they were normal, our country is not the same anymore”

She felt her heart tighten when she heard those words, her hands were holding her phone just as tight. She knew what her mother said wasn’t aimed at her, but at that point, it was impossible not to feel like it was. She saw Gahyeon staring wide eyed at her, but she tried not to shift her expression, her mother was still seeing her after all.

“They seem happy, they’re probably soulmates” she tried to say calmly and heard her mom laughing as an answer.

“Of course not sweetheart” she laughed more, even if Handong didn’t understand what was funny about it, she was feeling horrible “Soulmates are perfect couples, a man and a woman, as it should be. This kind of thing is pure perversion”

Handong saw that Gahyeon had turned her chair completely, and her eyes were wider than before, she didn’t even think that was possible. She just nodded at her mom, not trusting herself to say something else, she wanted to cry. Her mother soon started speaking again.

“Talking about soulmates, have you found yours?” she asked casually, it was a common question when they spoke.

“Not yet” she laughed, how could she tell about it after what she just heard? “Mom, I have to go, I need to… study” she tried to find an excuse to hang up. It seemed to work, they soon said their goodbyes and ended the call. Handong took a really deep breath.

“What the hell was that about?” Gahyeon whispered, almost to herself, as she pushed her hair back “Are you ok?” she said louder now.

Handong wanted to say she was fine, she didn’t want her roommate to be worried, but it seemed impossible right now. She felt tears in her eyes already, she was about to cry, a lot, even with Gahyeon watching her. She answered by shaking her head, unable to talk as her tears started to come out strongly through her eyes.

She covered her face with her hand in an useless attempt to hide her tearing eyes and soon felt arms around her. Handong cried while Gahyeon hugged her for a long time, it felt like hours had passed. When she felt calmer, she stood up and tried to wipe her tears away.

“Handong” her roommate called her carefully, she seemed to hesitate as she was speaking “What you’ve told me before, about not existing a possibility that you could have a relationship with another woman and being sure you would have a husband one day. Did that really come from you? Is that how you feel?”

“I don’t know anything anymore, Gahyeon, I can’t understand” she knew that was a vague answer, but she was feeling like that at the moment.

“Have you ever considered this possibility before meeting Yoohyeon?”

“I’ve been with a few girls before, but nothing serious” she answered and Gahyeon looked at her surprised.

“A few like… how many?” she asked, curious about it.

“Five, maybe six, I can’t remember clearly”

“What!?” she exclaimed “You, who is supposedly straight, have been with more girls than I have?” Handong couldn’t help but laugh with her friend’s reaction.

“It always felt good, but I never thought about actually dating any of them”

“What about Yoohyeon? Have you thought about dating her?” Handong looked down, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks “Handong, I know this can be hard, but you have to do what your heart tells you to this time. This is your soulmate, the love of your life who you alway dreamed about finding, don’t let anyone take that happiness away, as hard as it looks like”

“Thanks Gahyeon, I guess I’ll try” she smiled and her friend smiled back.

Gahyeon’s words echoed through her head. Was her dream of living a perfect love story with Yoohyeon? She wasn’t sure and she didn’t know if she was brave enough to find out.

✰

Yoohyeon was drinking tea at Yubin’s living room when they started talking about the soulmate matter once again.

Every time she told her friend about anything that happened between her and Handong, she got a cold look staring at her. But Yoohyeon knew Yubin wasn’t doing that to be mean or because she didn’t want Yoohyeon to be happy, it was the opposite actually.

“I know I have already told you that, but it’s not because you’re soulmates that things are going to happen perfectly” her friend said with a sweet tone “You’ve seen it going wrong before, you know how it ends”

She was right, Yoohyeon saw it closely, two soulmates being torn apart from each other. It was their first year of college when Yubin got her soulmark. Yoohyeon could see how happy she was while looking at the mark on her forearm, she followed all of her journey online after the owner of that name.

Her happiness was even bigger when she finally found the girl on social media and they started to talk. It didn’t take long for them to set a date so they could meet, since they lived near each other.

But fate was planning something else for them, while she waited in the place they were going to meet, Yubin realized the girl was taking too long to arrive and wasn’t answering any of her texts. Horror ran through her when she looked at her forearm and didn’t see her soulmark anymore. This could mean only one thing: her soulmate has died.

After two weeks feeling hopeless crying non stop, Yubin was able to rebuild herself. Even if she never mentioned her own soulmate again, Yoohyeon knew Yubin remembered every single letter of her name, she just didn’t dare to day it aloud.

That was the reason Yoohyeon understood why her friend kept saying it could all go wrong, she didn’t blame her for getting worried.

“I know” she sighed “I have no idea if things will work out, but if they don’t, I don’t want it to be my fault, you know? I have to at least try”

Yoohyeon was also worried about that, she was feeling like that since the beginning, Handong made it clear she wasn’t interested in any kind of romantic relationship with her. Still, it was hard to control the butterflies in her stomach every time the older girl was near her, it was a truly strong feeling.

“It’s ok, I understand” Yubin said “But I want you to know I’ll be here if you need me”  
“You always are” she smiled at her best friend, who never stopped supporting her at any moment.

She just expected not to need her support in that case, she hoped not to be without her soulmate forever.

✰

It was one more night when Yoohyeon and Handong met to watch a movie. They had almost a ritual at this point, they saw a movie and then ate something. Sometimes, Handong even slept at the younger girl’s apartment, when it was too late to go back home.

After finishing watching DEBS, the movie of the night, they were talking in the kitchen while talking about it.

“That scene in which their friends catch them on the bed was so embarrassing, I would cry if that happened to me” Yoohyeon said and Handong laughed.

“But the way they faced everything and gave a new meaning to good and evil just to live their love was beautiful” Handong said dreamily.

“I didn’t know you were so romantic” Yoohyeon giggled.

“Of course I am” Handong answered, seemingly offended.

“Come here and give me the seasoning that’s in the cabinet then, miss romantic”

She stood up and headed to the cabinet to get the seasoning, she handed it to Yoohyeon who thanked her and put it beside the pan to use it soon. She was surprised because Handong was still there, behind her, she soon felt her hand grabbing her wrist lightly. Yoohyeon turned around to see the reason why Handong was seeking her attention.

“What’s going on?” she asked when she turned around and saw Handong looking straight in her eyes.

She couldn’t avert her gaze, she got lost in those beautiful shiny eyes Handong had for many seconds, until she felt her own heavy breath and fast beating heart.

“Kiss me, please” she heard Handong whispering and Yoohyeon went wide eyed, surprised to hear that.

She could barely believe her ears, but Handong’s firm gaze looking into hers was saying she really wanted that kiss. Yoohyeon’s body was faster than her mind and she immediately did what Handong had asked her.

Their lips touched and she felt Handong let out a long sigh that almost seemed to be in relief, like she was holding that desire for a long, long time. That just made Yoohyeon deeper the kiss even more, she asked permission silently with her tongue and was soon granted. The kiss became almost desperate, like they would disappear if they weren’t glued together, feeling the most hunger they were able to.

Yoohyeon felt every cell of her body burning, she could barely stand at her feet, she felt like she could melt into Handong’s arms at any moment. They could barely breathe when they parted, they looked at each other gasping and in silence. They didn’t stay separated longer, Handong soon grabbed Yoohyeon’s shirt to bring her closer and kiss her once again, this kiss was surprisingly calmer than their last one. They were following a steady rhythm that made Yoohyeon feel shivers all over her body.

“I couldn’t hold myself any longer” Handong said when they separated again “I wanted so long for this”

“I was giving up on waiting to be honest” Yoohyeon said laughing.

“But we’re here now, aren’t we? Together”

“I know this seems really sudden, but do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“Yes!” she answered and gave a quick peck on the other girl’s lips “A million times, yes” she said so close to her mouth that Yoohyeon could feel the words instead of hearing them.

That night made of kisses and love confessions was enough for Yoohyeon to understand why they were soulmates. Handong made her feel complete.

✰

It didn’t come as a surprise to Yoohyeon when Handong asked her to keep their relationship as a secret. She wasn’t out and dating a woman was still a new thing to her, the younger girl didn’t mind letting their relationship walk at Handong's pace.

She has told her about how her parents were homophobic and how scared she felt since they met. This would still be hard for both of them, but Yoohyeon wasn’t expecting anything else.

While they were talking about it, Yoohyeon told her she would only tell Yubin, who was really happy with the news. Handong said she would tell her roommate, Gahyeon, who also became her friend when the two met.

Yoohyeon was happier than ever with Handong by her side, they felt more connected each day they spent together.

Two months into their relationship, Yoohyeon would finally see Handong singing and acting for the first time in her musical at college. She was really excited when she went in the theater along with Yubin and Gahyeon, who also came to support their friend.

When the play started, Yoohyeon could barely hold her excitement by seeing Handong on stage, she even screamed at some point, which made a few people in the audience glare at her. Not even the embarrassment could contain her happiness at the moment.

As soon as the play was over, she said goodbye to her friends who were going to leave together, and then went backstage. She already talked to Handong about it beforehand, they were going to meet there after the performance. Yoohyeon had a small bouquet of red roses in her hands.

She knocked the door and opened it slowly, she soon found Handong who smiled at her, she got up and went to Yoohyeon.

“What did you think of the play?” was the first thing she asked her.

“It was awesome, I loved it!” Yoohyeon exclaimed “And you were also amazing, the best actress in the whole play for sure” that made Handong blush and give her a shy smile “I brought this for you” she said handing her the flowers “Congratulations on your first performance!”

Handong was wide eyed looking at the flowers when she grabbed them, she looked at Yoohyeon and smiled sweetly at her. But what actually surprised Yoohyeon was when she stood on her tiptoes and gave her girlfriend a peck. Right there, backstage, in front of all of her colleagues.

“Thank you, I’m really happy you came” she said with the brightest smile Yoohyeon had seen on her face. She couldn’t help but smile back just as brightly.

“Won’t you introduce her to us, Handong?” said one of the girls who was there, she had short blonde hair and Yoohyeon remembered the girl played Handong’s sister on the play.

“Of course I will, guys” she said, calling everyone “This is my girlfriend, Yoohyeon”

She could barely hold her surprise when she heard it, she didn’t imagine Handong would truly introduce her as her girlfriend to all of those friends for college. Yoohyeon bowed in the general direction of the group standing there and saw many of them bowing back.

Some of them were surprised, since they probably didn’t even imagine their colleague had a girlfriend, but there was no other reaction beyond that. In a short time, they resumed their talk about the play.

Yoohyeon didn’t have a lot to say, so she just stared at her girlfriend, who was excitedly talking to everyone with a big smile on her face.

It was at that moment that she realized that even if they still had a long way to go and many harsh battles to face, they were going to pass through everything together. Nothing could tear them apart, nothing could separate soulmates who found each other and found in themselves a reason to love.

Any force in the world was stronger than true love.


End file.
